Signing ceremony formalizes new regional hospitality chapter focused on driving more inclusive workforce opportunities for women across the Middle East and North Africa
September 24, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WILMINGTON, Delaware (USA) – Diversey, a Solenis company and global leader in cleaning and hygiene solutions, formalized the Hospitality Chapter of the Surging Women’s Employment Initiative (SWEI) yesterday with UN Women during an UNGA Week signing ceremony at UN Women Headquarters. The ceremony followed a high-level roundtable discussion on women’s economic participation, co-convened by UN Women and the European Union with public- and private-sector partners.
The SWEI Hospitality Chapter aims to connect 9,050 women in the Middle East and North Africa with employment pathways in the region’s hospitality sector by 2030. That work will be supported by two regional programs already in place: Linens For Life™, Diversey’s Creating Shared Value initiative, and Karama, a digital hospitality training platform.
“The purpose of the SWEI Hospitality Chapter is about turning shared ambition into practical opportunities for women,” said Dr. Lotta Kanto Öqvist, Chief Sustainability Officer, Solenis. “Hospitality depends on people, and this initiative gives us a way to help open more doors for women across the Middle East and North Africa. By working with UN Women, our customers and local partners, we can connect training, industry relationships and programs like Linens For Life™ in a way that is practical, measurable and built to last.”
“Women remain significantly underrepresented in the region’s labour market, and changing this trajectory requires practical and measurable action from the private sector. Our partnership with Diversey demonstrates what SWEI is designed to do: equip women with relevant skills, expand access to decent employment and career advancement, and work with businesses to develop approaches that can be adapted and scales across the region,” said Dr. Moez Doraid, UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States.
Solenis and Diversey serve as a catalyst in connecting UN Women with hotel operators, owners and suppliers across their hospitality customer base, extending the initiative’s reach into procurement and workforce decisions.
Implementation of the SWEI Hospitality Chapter is underway in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with Egypt, Morocco and Türkiye identified as future markets. Progress toward the 9,050-women target is expected to be tracked through SWEI’s monitoring and results framework.
SWEI is UN Women’s regional initiative, developed with the European Union and a coalition of governments, international financial institutions, development partners and private sector leaders. It targets a five-percentage-point increase in women’s employment across the region by 2030, mobilizing the private sector and combining policy reform, catalytic finance, industry engagement, and strategic communications.
Women’s labor force participation in the Middle East and North Africa has remained among the lowest in the world, despite near-parity in education. Closing the employment gap is estimated to raise the region’s GDP by close to 60 percent.
The Hospitality Chapter is SWEI's dedicated pathway into one of the region's fastest-growing employment sectors. Women currently represent around 9 percent of the region’s hospitality workforce, compared with a global average of approximately 56 percent (ILO). The chapter was initiated in the United Arab Emirates in July 2026 through the collaboration of UN Women, Solenis/Diversey and HAMA MEA Holding, with the participation of the Dubai Hospitality Business Group, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the SERA Foundation, UN Tourism and the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism.
Linens For Life™ repurposes hotel linens that are no longer suitable for guest use into useful, sellable items such as bags, clothing and other locally made products. Through partnerships with hotels and local organizations, the program provides sewing training and equipment to help people in need to build income opportunities while reducing textile waste. In collaboration with the SWEI Hospitality Chapter, the program plans to support paid work for women while helping participating hotels reduce textile waste and track related environmental savings.
Karama is a digital learning platform that provides certified hospitality skills training for women entering or advancing within the sector.
Note to Editors
The Surging Women's Employment Initiative is a regional initiative of UN Women, supported by the European Union. Solenis leads the Hospitality Chapter of SWEI in collaboration with UN Women. UN Women does not endorse Solenis, Diversey, or their products or services. Use of the UN Women name and partnership logo is governed by applicable UN Women private sector partnership guidelines.
Solenis is a leading global provider of water treatment, process and hygiene solutions. The company’s product portfolio includes a broad array of water treatment chemistries, process aids, functional additives, lubricants, degreasers, cleaners, disinfectants, and state-of-the-art monitoring, control and delivery systems. These technologies are used by customers to improve operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, protect plant assets, minimize environmental impact, and create cleaner and safer environments. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company has 78 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe and employs a team of more than 23,000 professionals in >160 countries across six continents. Solenis is a 2026 Best Managed Company Gold Standard honoree.
For additional information about Solenis, please visit www.solenis.com or follow us on social media.
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